Cager and automatic sump-guard.



PATENT'ED JUNE 2, 1908.

' G. HOLMES. GAGBR AND AUTOMATIC SUM'P GUARD.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1908.

duo-mm THE mmms PETERS c0. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GRANT HOLMES, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT HOLMES &BROTHERS, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CAGER AND AUTOMATIC SUMP-GUARD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANT HOLMES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oagers andAutomatic Sump-Guards, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a eager and automatic sump guard, and isdesigned more particularly for use in connection with car handlingmechanism such as is employed in coal mines and similar places.

The object of the invention is to provide a eager which will receive theloaded car and feed the same to the cage; which will be automaticallyoperated by the rise and fall of the cage within the hoisting shaft; andto provide this eager with a suitable sump guard to control the advanceof the cars on the main track.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and in certain parts and combinationshereinafter to be described, and then more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

The drawing is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my inventionincluding so much of the cage and its operating mechanism as relates tothe operation of the eager.

In these drawings I have illustrated the preferred form of my inventionand have shown the same in connection with a hoisting cage 1 and a maintrack 2', by means of which the loaded cars are conveyed to the oint atwhich they are to be delivered to the misting cage. The hoisting cage 1and its cooperating mechanism may be of any suitable construction, butfor purposes of illustration I have here shown the cage as comprising anupper portion or platform 3, upon which are mounted the rails 4 whichreceive the car, and which issupported upon a base portion 5 to whichthe hoisting mechanism is connected. This cage is adapted to be raisedand lowered in the hoisting shaftv 6 in the usual manner and mounted inthis shaft beneath the cage is a landing platform adapted to receive thecage as it descends and cushion the descent thereof. This platformpreferably consists of a frame 7 adapted to receive the base of the cageand provided with suitable means, such as the hydraulic cylinder 8 andpiston 9, for returning the same to its nor- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed March 16, 1908.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Serial No. 421,374.

mal position when it has been relieved of the weight of the cage. Theeager which I have provided for delivering the cars one at a time fromthe main track 2 to the hoisting cage consists of a pivoted rail section10 extending between said. track and the hoisting shaft. This pivotedrail section preferably consists of both rails of the track, and, in thepreferred form, these rails are pivoted to a suitable support at a pointsome distance from the forward end thereof, or the end nearest the maintrack.

a The forward portion of the rail section, that is, the portion lyingbetween the pivotal center thereof and the main track 2, is bent at anangle to the body portion of the rail section, as shown at 11, in such amanner that when the main portion occupies its lowermost orsubstantially horizontal position, the forward portion will be elevatedsome distance above the main track 2 and will serve as a buffer or guardto prevent the forward movement of the cars ,on this main track. But torender this guard sump effective, I prefer to provide the ends of theforward portion of the rail section with depending arms 12 which arepreferably curved in such a manner that they will, in all positions ofthe forward portion of the rail section, lie close to the ends of themain track rails and thus effectually prevent the passage of any carfrom that track while the forward portion of the pivoted rail sectioniselevated. These depending" arms are preferably provided with suitablebraces 13 eX- tending from a point near the lower ends thereof to therail section, whereby the same are rendered of sufficient strength anddurability to withstand the impact of the loaded cars. This pivoted railsection is provided with suitable means for moving the same about itspivotal center, which means is preferably actuated by the rise and fallof the hoisting cage. In the present instance the rear ends of the railsection, or the ends adjacent to the hoisting shaft, are connected tothe landing platform which rises and falls simultaneouslywith the riseand fall of the cage, this connection preferably consisting of a bar 14pivotally connected at its lower end to said landing platform and havingits upper end loosely connected to the rail section near the rear endsthereof, preferably by means of a bolt 15 extending through an aperturedlug 16 on the rail section and an apparent that I have provided amechanism which will serve to positively deliver the loaded cars to thehoisting cage one at a time; that the delivery of the cars will bepositively controlled by the rise and fall of the hoisting cage; andfurther, that I have provided this eager or delivery mechanism with anautomatic sump guard which efl'ectually prevents the passage of theloaded cars from the main track while the eager is in position todeliver a car to the hoisting cage. It will also be apparent that themechanism is of such simple construction and operation as to enable thesame to be built in a strong durable manner and as to render it 'butlittle liable to become disarranged or to fail in operation.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for ob viousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the character described comprising a rail sectionpivotally supported at a point between its ends and having the portionsthereof lying on opposite sides of its pivotal center extending at anangle one to another, and means for moving said rail section about itspivotal center.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a trackand a hoisting cage, of a rail section pivotally supported at a pointbetween the ends thereof and having its opposite end portions extendingat an angle one to another, and means actuated by the rise and fall ofsaid cage for moving said rail section about its pivotal center.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination, with atrack, a hoisting cage, and a movable landing platform for said hoistingcage, of a rail section pivotally supported. at a point between the endsthereof and having its opposite end portions extending at an angle oneto the other, and means .for connecting said pivotal rail section tosaid landing platform, whereby said rail section will be moved about itspivotal center by the rise or fall of said landing platform.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination, with atrack, a hoisting cage, and a movable landing platform for said hoistingcage, of a ra1l section plvotally supported at a point between the endsthereof and having its opposite end portions extending at an angle oneto the other, and a bar pivotally connected at one end to said landingplatform and loosely connected at its opposite end to said rail section,whereby said rail section will be moved about its pivotal center by therise and fall of said landing platform.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination, with atrack, a hoisting cage, and a movable landing platform for said hoistingcage, of a rail section pivotally supported at a point between the endsthere of and having its opposite end portions extending at an angle oneto the other, a bar pivotally connected at one end to said landingplatform and having a slot at its opposite end, and a bolt carried bysaid rail section and adapted to engage said slot, whereby the rise andfall of said landing platform will move said rail section about itspivotal center.

6. A device of the character described comprising a rail sectionpivotally supported at a point between its ends and having the oppositeend portions thereof extending at an angle one to the other, means formoving said rail section about its pivotal center, and a sump guardadapted to be moved into or out of its operative position by themovement of said rail section about its pivotal center.

7. A device of the character described comprising a rail sectionpivotally supported at a point between its ends and having its oppositeend portions extending at an angle one to the other, means for movingsaid rail section about its pivotal center, and a downwardly extendingarm secured to one end of said pivoted rail section.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination, with atrack, and a hoisting cage, of a rail section pivotally supported at apoint between the ends thereof and having its opposite end portionsextending at an angle one to the other, means actuated by the rise orfall of said cage for moving said rail section about its pivotal center,and a downwardly extending arm secured to that end of said rail sectionlying adjacent to said track and. forming a buffer when said end ofsaidrail section is in its elevated position.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GRANT HOLMES.

WVitnesses GERTRUDE C. Kocrr, FRANK TINDLEY.

